In today's Internet-connect world, many state and local entities and private organizations are becoming victims of successful cyber-attacks. A lack of strong Cybersecurity Policy in organizations leads to data exfiltration of company secrets, personal communications, detailed criminal records from police departments, and even classified records and national secrets ending up on the open Internet. The almost daily ransomware attacks are forcing victims to recognize the costly consequences of not investing in the preparation and planning of a strong Cybersecurity Policy protecting their assets from cyber-attacks. Criminals use free tools such as ShodanHQ to detect and exploit vulnerabilities within Internet-connected networking devices, also known as the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Attend this session to learn about free resources and affordable means to begin the process of initiating a Cybersecurity Policy and strategic plan within your private organization or public entity, regardless of size.

Bio:

Cynthia Gonnella has been employed as a Cyber Crime Specialist with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) since 2007. Prior to NW3C, Cynthia worked as a Computer Investigative Specialist with the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team where she was the 2007 "Investigator of the Year." Cynthia has 20+ years in law enforcement, with over 16 years in computer forensics. Cynthia earned her Certified Forensic Computer Examiner through IACIS. In 2010, Cynthia earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Forensics. Cynthia continued her education earning a Master of Science Degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in 2012, where she is currently an adjunct Professor in the program. Cynthia is a third year Doctorate student of Cybersecurity at the University of Fairfax. Cynthia successfully completed the prestigious Certified Information Security Specialist Professional (CISSP) certification exam and continues to research and develop new ideas in Cybersecurity.

In 2014, Cynthia was assigned team lead and developer of NW3C's first Cybersecurity course for law enforcement. Cynthia and her team developed a web-based asynchronous Introduction to Computer Networks course and a 4-day face to face course - Basic Network Intrusion Investigations (BNII), which has been delivered to hundreds of law enforcement officers and support staff throughout the United States, improving the ability of our communities to investigate network intrusions. Cynthia and her team are currently developing a 1-Day executive level incident response course and performing R&D for a late 2018 4-day Intermediate Network Intrusion Investigations (INII) course. Cynthia is passionate about improving our nation's Cybersecurity posture and often speaks to businesses and Community IT directors about assessing and securing their computer networks with eye-opening presentations and affordable solutions.